During the month of Nissan there is a special bracha that we can only say once in the whole year.

‘Blessed are you Hashem, … nothing is lacking in His universe, and He created in it good creatures and good trees, to cause mankind pleasure with them.’ This is Bircat HaIlanot, the blessing that we say on a flowering fruit tree, in bloom in the spring. I have on my balcony a peach tree and a lemon tree that are in blossom right now, so I don’t have to go far to make a bracha. It’s quite incredible that we have a mitzvah to take a pause in our busy hectic Pesach preparations and go on a nature walk! And if you are too busy to do this during the week you can always do it on Shabbos. My nearby park, Park Sanhedrin, was recently renovated, and there are now 6-8 blossoming fruit trees – it is worth coming from afar to make a bracha.

One Dutch study that involved over 250,000 participants revealed that the percentage of green space in a person’s environment has a positive relationship with the general health of the residents. Among people who lived very near green space, a broad range of disease was much less prevalent. The positive effect that nature had on mental health boosted longevity and overall health. There was also decreased heart-rate and cortisol in people who stayed amidst nature compared to those in the city.

Stressed and tense (who isn’t during Nissan)? Go on a nature walk. Nature therapy does relieve stress. Even a window view of nature is associated with higher job satisfaction and lower stress among office workers, one study found. Nature walks set the stage for peace without the demands or alertness necessary for walking in city streets. Immerse yourself in the natural world of plants, trees, and earth. There is no need to over-process or over-analyse anything. Many wild flowers are flowering now in Israel. Enjoy the colours, the sounds that the birds make and the earthy smell of the ground. Go ahead and feel a sense of gratitude to Hashem for everything around you, as you begin to enjoy the benefits of a nature walk. Nature brings such a great boost to physical and mental well-being. When you feel in awe of the beauty that Hashem created in the natural world, find a blossoming fruit tree and say the bracha with kavana (concentration).

It is not within the scope of this email, but Pesach, and the Springtime blossoms are deeply connected to the birth and redemption (geula) of the Jewish People. I definitely recommend reading Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch Collected Writings Nissan chapter 1.

During the month of Nissan there is a special bracha that we can only say once in the whole year.

‘Blessed are you Hashem, … nothing is lacking in His universe, and He created in it good creatures and good trees, to cause mankind pleasure with them.’ This is Bircat HaIlanot, the blessing that we say on a flowering fruit tree, in bloom in the spring. I have on my balcony a peach tree and a lemon tree that are in blossom right now, so I don’t have to go far to make a bracha. It’s quite incredible that we have a mitzvah to take a pause in our busy hectic Pesach preparations and go on a nature walk! And if you are too busy to do this during the week you can always do it on Shabbos. My nearby park, Park Sanhedrin, was recently renovated, and there are now 6-8 blossoming fruit trees – it is worth coming from afar to make a bracha.

One Dutch study that involved over 250,000 participants revealed that the percentage of green space in a person’s environment has a positive relationship with the general health of the residents. Among people who lived very near green space, a broad range of disease was much less prevalent. The positive effect that nature had on mental health boosted longevity and overall health. There was also decreased heart-rate and cortisol in people who stayed amidst nature compared to those in the city.

Stressed and tense (who isn’t during Nissan)? Go on a nature walk. Nature therapy does relieve stress. Even a window view of nature is associated with higher job satisfaction and lower stress among office workers, one study found. Nature walks set the stage for peace without the demands or alertness necessary for walking in city streets. Immerse yourself in the natural world of plants, trees, and earth. There is no need to over-process or over-analyse anything. Many wild flowers are flowering now in Israel. Enjoy the colours, the sounds that the birds make and the earthy smell of the ground. Go ahead and feel a sense of gratitude to Hashem for everything around you, as you begin to enjoy the benefits of a nature walk. Nature brings such a great boost to physical and mental well-being. When you feel in awe of the beauty that Hashem created in the natural world, find a blossoming fruit tree and say the bracha with kavana (concentration).

It is not within the scope of this email, but Pesach, and the Springtime blossoms are deeply connected to the birth and redemption (geula) of the Jewish People. I definitely recommend reading Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch Collected Writings Nissan chapter 1.